Sunday, November 29, 2009

Secret Sunday 2

Do you want to know a secret?


Welcome to the fourth edition of The Pulse -- The State of the Art -- a survey in words and pictures of the online artist community. The Pulse is a collaborative project that aims to introduce you to new artists, help you get to know familiar faces even more, and allow you access into the creative hearts and minds of a very talented crew of individuals.


Over 150 (!) artists have answered a series of questions which make up The Pulse. Their responses will be presented as a series of online and print projects. And the first continues right now!

Join the The Altered Page every Sunday for "Secret Sunday." Here the secrets of all your favorite artists will be revealed. It could be a technique, a product, a secret source, a little-known website, a hidden shop, an inspiration, just about anything! If you missed any, no worries. You can find links to all the secrets on the sidebar of my blog.

Today's secret.......supplies!
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Erin Perry
Website: Altered By The Sea
Blog: Altered By The Sea

Cheesecloth!! I love cheesecloth! Slather canvas or red rosin paper with gesso and then embed cheesecloth in it for the most marvelous texture. Use lots and let it hang off the sides. Use brigh colouted Portfolio water soluble oil pastels on it to create areas that POP off the painting.


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Ingrid Dijkers
Website: Ingrid Dijkers
Blog: Ingrid Dijkers

I get a lot of emails asking about how I go about my work, where I get my supplies and often they say that they would love to make books and journals but find the cost of materials and supplies very prohibitive. I share with them that I have found that for the type work I do that I don’t require expensive materials. Most all my books have been salvaged from library book sales, most costing under a dollar. My binder books are made from old school loose leaf binders, the pages out of cereal boxes from the recycling bin and a lot of my paints are just craft paints and left over household paint. A few supplies I don’t skimp on such as watercolor pencils and crayons, but for the most part I use what I have on hand.


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Jean Zoss
Blog: Bluebirds Living in the Meadow
Etsy: Bluebird Meadow

My art secret is supplies....I use cosmetic sponges on almost every piece. I love them for applying Stayzon inks, Lumiere paints and my favorite Golden acrylics. They also work well for applying glazes of medium without brush marks. When I studied watercolor, I spent a great deal of money on brushes, now I use the Royal brand children's brushes which can be purchased at Michael's. They stand up to the worst of brush abuse (leaving them in the water tank) and still come out ready to go. For about a buck a brush, they can not be beat. I also work with a dry brush in almost every step of my process so I need lots of brushes. I also get a thrill from finding things around the house like scraps of sandpaper, clothes pins and safety pins which become indispensable aids in the creation process. I also have a stainless steel palette knife I use quite a bit.
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Karin Bartimole
Blog: Beyond Words
You Tube: Karin Batimole: art & life

Not being the least bit secretive with what I find or learn makes it hard
for me to try to come up with something I haven't shared openly and repeatedly! I especially enjoy working with untraditional materials from places like hardware stores. Roofing felt is a fabulous paper to paint and draw on, for it's saturated black surface and strength; joint compound for creating textured surfaces to paint on; copper flashing for embossing. Explore your neighborhood hardware store with an artist's eye and you'll be sure to find inexpensive unexpected art materials.



This is the first book I ever made - and it's out of roofing felt (aka tar paper). It's versatility is clear - I also have used it in a line of jewelry, drawn on with colored pencils and sealed with varnish. It's survived an accidental wash through the laundry!
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Kim Palmer
Blogs:
Merlin's Musings
Pulp Redux

Umm, patience and determination, they usually solve anything and everything, LOL! ‘Weldbond’ glue from the hardware store. Its sets everything, fabrics, ceramics, metal, concrete, you name it, and it stays stuck! Dries clear, takes extremes of temperature and won’t get brittle, always a plus!


This adhesive was used to glue every item to the pages of this book construction. From the fabrics to the metal embellishments, papers, shells etc.
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Marilyn Gallas
Blog: Studio 274

It’s not really a secret, but it was a great discovery for me. I learned from D.J. Pettit that I can do a sketch in pencil and then apply a light skim of molding paste to prevent it from smudging when I paint on it. I can still see the image through the molding paste. Voila!!! Gesso would also work but the molding paste has a smoother finish.


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Lani Gerity Glanville
Website: Lani's Alternative Arts
Blog: Lani Puppetmaker's Blogspot

Bee's Wax, Citrisolve, & Baby wipes (not all at the same time - don't know what that would do)


Collage with citrisolve and baby wipes over top.
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JoAnna Pierotti
Blog: Moss Hill Studio
Etsy: Moss Hill Studio

Buy re-bar ties at a local hardware store for about $10.00 (you get a 1000 in the roll) - throw them outside in the winter and let them rust. A damp place is the best and will rust rather quickly. They make great hangers for your art projects. Easy to hook together to make larger hangers.


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Nelda Ream
Blog: Nelda Ream

One of my favorite materials to use in making art journals is cereal boxes. All it takes is a coat of gesso on both sides of this recycled cardboard to turn it into a great substrate. Then, it is ready for all your collage and acrylic painting techniques.
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Marie Dante
Cinnamon Studio

I have just discovered Min Wax polyshade stain and polyurethane as a terrific way to preserve and restore vintage paper and book jackets, (or any paper for that matter). I have the pecan stain and have used it on a ton of paper college materials. It drys fast and leaves a clean/flat satin sheen. It also adds a bit of color and further aged appearance to paper. I have some very old (1800's) newsprint that I have "Min Waxed" with good results, but some of the paper is so very fragile that it becomes translucent & the other side of the paper shows through. I like this effect. This product is probably not for "properly" archiving vintage ephemera but I have used it for my college purposes & am very satisfied. I found it at Home Depot.


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21 comments:

Curio said...

Perfection! The number of artist you feature makes it possible to check out their blogs/web sites, most of which I hadn't seen before. I am a great fan of reusing or using unusual materials; that being said my favorite in this post is Karin's use of tar paper.

Thank you for all this work, Seth. It is appreciated by many.

Bea said...

These are so much fun to read. I have always said that my Internet art friends are the most generous folks with sharing their techniques and tips.
This post, on Sunday's, read with my fresh coffee makes me smile!
Thank you to all the artists that shared a little something with the rest of us and a special thanks to you Seth for putting this together. :)Bea

ArtPropelled said...

After the first Secret Sunday I couldn't wait for the next one. Excellent idea, Seth.
Another wonderful surprise was the inspiration station in your sidebar. Thanks so much Seth!

Lisa said...

This is such a great way to start my Sunday..love all the great ideas and innovative techniques! Thanks again Seth!

Karin Bartimole said...

Thanks for including me here Seth! I'm loving taking in the variety of artist's ideas and techniques - there's just so much to explore! Can't thank you enough for bringing so much together for so many!!
Hope you've had a fabulous Thanksgiving weekend :)

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

Three of the links this week were new to me, so I was really excited to check out new art, new photos, and new points of view. I'm really loving this. I can see it continuing forever and ever at this perfectly timed pace.

Kerin said...

I can't remember enjoying any posts more and can hardly wait for the next one!!!

Teri said...

There were some great tips here. I especially love the cereal box tip. what a great way to reuse, recycle. I will have to check out each blog now too. Wish it would start raining so I wouldn't feel so guilty about staying inside and exploring!

BoldAmy said...

This is awesome, Seth. Thank you for delivering weekly "Oh I gotta try that!" inspiration!

Mary Helen-Art Saves Lives said...

I look forward to Sunday nights and all the surprises your wonderful artists have generously shared. I am a great recycler and have used boxes and cardboard that I collect from many stores before they dispose of these golden materials. The wax paper bags inside the cereal boxes is a great paper that releases your project when you are using gels and acrylics. Imagine and Live in Peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart

Kim Palmer said...

Thanks for including me here Seth, loved everyone's ideas and tips and it provided me with some fresh ideas to try out as well! Look forward to hearing more next Sunday!

Ange said...

Once again a wealth of information! LOVE the cheesecloth idea. I used something similar on one of my planks. Used my 'Sunday Secret' post to open my Etsy shop! Have to think of another secret for next Sunday now!! Hmm - going to see your inspiration station Pronto!

Unknown said...

I love all these ideas and can't wait to read more! Thanks to everyone for your generosity -- and a big thanks to Seth for being the Awesome Organizer.

Lisa Hoffman said...

Thusly inspired I will now go and swipe the obligatory junk off my table and roll my sleeves up.

Evangeline said...

This is great. I am loving Secret Sundays! (well Tuesday in today's case, but I am a little behind these days ;)

Rainey J. Dillon said...

Hello hello hello there Seth-the man with the plan!lol Fabulous to have this directory for all artists to use & to share!Great idea.Just to let you know that I'm a reknowned procrastinator but I usually get there by deadline!
Rainey

MrCachet said...

Sorry I've been missing in action, Seth... I'm off tomorrow to a gallery - here - because he wants to see my portfolio - always a plus.

I'm taking my pc in for a tune-up tomorrow, and hope to have it back in short order.

JIll z said...

Another great Secret Sunday- where you do such a great job of "letting the cat out of the bag"! Next time, before I begin, I will get out my journal and pencil to start taking notes! Wonderful ideas. The cereal box idea reminded me of people that I've heard who recycle pizza boxes- I guess after they scrape the cheese off! So much info and I already know which one I'm going to try first- but, can't tell you here- why? because it's a secret!!

Fran Meneley said...

Great secrets this Sunday - love hearing everyone's tips. Fran

Leslie Avon Miller said...

These are great posts Seth. I'm looking forward to tomorrow's! Thanks again for all your work in connecting the artists of the blogosphere.

herhimnbryn said...

Here via Art Propelled. What a great idea and how generous of the artists. Will be back.